Tonight the Senate once again rejected Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne’s unfair plan for $100,000 degrees.

 

Because of Labor’s resolve, young Australians and their families, as well as our universities have been protected from the devastating impact of the Liberals cuts and the burden of $100,000 degrees.

 

From day one, Labor has stood by one principle: that hard work and good marks, not the ability to pay, should determine if a young person gets the opportunity of a higher education.

 

Australians know the Liberals remain committed to $100,000 degrees and the Americanisation of Australia’s world-class university system.

 

Their deeply unfair policy will see Australians from ordinary working families locked out of getting a higher education.

 

And that will be a disaster for the nation.

 

Tonight’s vote is yet another humiliating failure for Christopher Pyne, who has lost all credibility with the Australian people as a result of his so-called negotiations, which were based entirely on bullying and blackmail.

 

When asked about his plans for higher education on Saturday, 14 March, Tony Abbott said he was “very committed – very, very committed” to his plan for $100,000 degrees and “it’s a reform that will come up again.”

 

Tony Abbott - Sky News - 14 March 2015

 

Deregulated fees would see the cost of a university degrees double and treble, saddling students with a crippling debt sentence.

 

Over the past ten months, the evidence in support of Labor’s principled position has only mounted.

 

It is time for Christopher Pyne to accept that he introduced a bad policy and got a bad result for the Government.

 

Even spending $15 million of taxpayers’ money on a slick but misleading advertising campaign did nothing to help him win public support for trashing the fair go.

 

Labor has been resolute in resisting the Liberals’ changes, and we will never accept their plan for $100,000 degrees.

 

Unlike the Liberals, Labor understands that Australia’s future prosperity depends upon the knowledge and skills of our people.

 

Labor will continue to fight the Americanisation of our university system, and we will prevail.

 

TUESDAY, 17 MARCH 2015

 

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